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Nothing is a waste

Vehicles running on gas are a common thing. However, this bus in Britain has made headlines as it is the first bus in the UK to run on biomethane gas produced from human sewage and food waste. Not only will the bus reduce the UK’s reliance on fossil fuel but it will also produce less of a carbon footprint than the traditional buses. With a full tank it can run almost 300km and can carry 40 passengers at once. This full tank is produced by the annual waste of about only five people. The first official bus will run between the city of Bath and the Bristol airport, along with other routes.

The company that generates the biomethane fuel is GENeco and it states that it generates 17 million cubic metres of biomethane, which can power almost 8,300 homes.

Use of biomethane as a fuel has previously been used in Norway and Sweden. The initial cost to set up the infrastructure is high. However, the gas produced is cheap and from a long-term perspective it is a sustainable approach that can reduce our dependency on fuel and also contribute to improving the air quality. Considering Melbourne has an extensive bus network with 346 routes operating, we could consider adopting this innovative approach.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons. Could we see the route 380 and Melbourne’s other buses powered by biomethane?